Gracie opened her marriage with first husband, Hank, six years ago. The couple invited a man called Oz and his two children to live with them, followed by Hank’s girlfriend, Valerie, who also moved into the family home.

Eventually Gracie grew closer to Oz and Hank grew closer to Valerie, so the couple split. Gracie eventually married Oz and they moved to California together, where they continue to have an ethically non-monogamous relationship.

Gracie and Oz, her second husband, who she married after he and his children moved in with Gracie and her first husband Hank. While Gracie and Oz grew closer, Gracie and Hank grew apart (Picture: Barcroft Media)

Gracie hasn’t hidden any of this from her children.

She says that being non-monogamous has made her a better parent and a better wife, mostly because it’s made her a happier person.

‘Domestic life can get spectacularly boring and I need a separate adult life,’ she explains. ‘The downside of monogamy is monotony.

‘The biggest burden you can put on your child is an unfulfilled life. We really have to make sure we’re living.

‘I’m happy and fun to be around and they ask me about intimate things because I’m sex positive and I’m not trying to control their lives.’

And being non-monogamous has helped Gracie and Oz’s relationship to thrive, too.

‘Knowing that your husband is a separate sexual being is a great way of keeping the relationship alive,’ explains Gracie.

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‘It makes us closer and after we’ve been with another person the passion between us when we come back together is unbelievable.

‘I get completely jealous when Oz meets up with other women.

Tallulah: ‘It took some getting used to but now I think being polyamorous makes her a better mother’ (Picture: Barcroft Media)

‘I think of Oz as this amazing male sexual animal and he goes off and he does these things and there’s part of me that is activated, that is also on the prowl and it’s an animal thing – it’s almost a competitive thing. It’s like ‘oh, she gave you that? Well I’m going give you even better.’

So the relationship is good for Gracie and good for Oz – but how does it affect Gracie’s children?

Her daughter, Tallulah, backs up the idea that Gracie’s open attitude to sex has made their relationship better.

‘I was about ten or 11 and my parents sat me down and they told me they are going to start having special friends,’ she explained.

‘It took some getting used to but now I think being polyamorous makes her a better mother because she’s happy.

‘It’s like she’s not focused on controlling my life because she has her own life and she’s happy in her relationship.

Sex positive’ Gracie says some people are critical of the way the family live – but they’ve never been happier (Picture: Barcroft Media)

‘I think it affected my view of relationships because now I know I can love the way I want to and really make a relationship in the way I want to and not the way society wants it to.’

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Which sounds pretty great, no?

Gracie understands that the lifestyle is not for everyone, and doesn’t expect everyone to be on board. But she hopes that by sharing her experiences with her book, Wide Open; My Adventures in Polyamory, Open Marriage and Loving on My Own Terms, she’ll be able to encourage other people to accept her choices and embrace sex positivity.

‘I love and trust my husband and we’re very open about what we’re doing and we set parameters that we’re both comfortable with,’ says Gracie.

‘Some people are critical with the way we live but it suits us and I’ve never been happier.

‘Ethical non-monogamy is a sex-positive world; sex is seen as normal, it’s seen as healthy. I’m a sex positive parent.’